1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general field of tube closures. Tube closures having the ability to control the contents of a manufacturers product within the confines of a container. Such containers are known as a tube, and control the egress of the contents of tubes of e.g. salves, balms, ointments, glues, and toothpastes. The manufacturers product and particularly toothpaste, must be maintained for immediate use.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Throughout the history of extracting manufacturers products from tubes, numerous devices have been invented, patented and in some cases, manufactured in an effort to solve the ongoing problem of rolling up the spent end of a tube of toothpaste et al, and keeping it rolled up when pressure is applied at the distal end of the tube while attempting to use the product. A partial list of such devices ranges from squeezers, rollers, dispensers both manual and electric, compressors, keys, tube winders and yesterdays washing machines with the double roller crank wringers, apparatus dispensers and squeezing vessels. The problem is and remains that one must extract as much of the manufacturers product from a tube as possible. When tubes were made of lead, there was no problem. Just roll up the spent end of the tube and it remained rolled. However, the lead tube is no longer in use. Now, the collapsible plastic tube is predominantly used, and when the spent end of the collapsible plastic tube is rolled up, it will immediately unroll to its previous shape.
The benefit and advantage of the present invention is to eliminate uncoiling/unrolling of collapsible plastic tube(s) of toothpaste and the likes.
Another benefit of the present invention is the preclusion of the remaining contents of the tube and the like from escaping beyond the rolled up portion of the collapsible plastic tubes.
It is a further benefit of the present invention to obtain an uninterrupted flow of the product from what now represents an ever full tube. Each time the spent end of the tube is rolled another one half turn or another one half revolution as the product is used, the tube clip is repositioned to resecure the tube from unrolling. Then the remaining unused portion within the tube is now full again at the ready without interruption.
It is another benefit of the present invention to provide the same functions equally to various sizes, shapes and thickness of all manufacturers of plastic tubes.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious and apparent from the following descriptions and accompanying drawings.
The foregoing and additional objects and advantages of the present invention are accomplished in a new and improved method of controlling the coiled or rolled end of a void/empty or spent end of a collapsible plastic tube of toothpaste and the like. The present invention overshadows the difficulty and adverse circumstances of the prior art by providing a tube clip inserted into the spent end of said plastic tube. The tube clip has no moving parts to break, twist or bend out of shape etc. The present invention is fabricated of a stainless steel or equivalent material into a single xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d shaped piece of construction that will retain its spring tensioned memory indefinitely.
The tube clip may be positioned in place once one revolution of the spent end of the tube has been coiled or rolled.
As the product is used, the consumer(s) will continue to coil or roll up the spent end of the tube and by inserting the narrow portion of the tube clip into the end of the each one half resolution of the coiled tube, i.e. much like installing a paper clip onto several pieces of paper or a tie clasp/clip would secure a tie to a shirt or like a xe2x80x9cBobbyxe2x80x9d pin for hair, perceivably, the larger portion of the tube clip remains on the outside of the toothpaste tube.